HD Ready displays are more affordable than ever. Today even more people can enjoy high-definition entertainment in their daily lives. Whether you experience high-definition via Sky’s HD channels or through next-generation HD-DVD and Blu-ray discs, the picture is only half the story. With its new high-definition formats, Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby TrueHD, Dolby ensures you experience the full picture.
Surround sound wraps you in the moment and makes you part of the action on screen. Without it, the emotion and ambience of the entertainment experience just isn’t the same – and with Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby TrueHD, designed specifically for HD entertainment, it’s even more realistic than before.
New Dolby Technologies for HD
Dolby’s audio technologies for HD entertainment are based on extensions and improvements to existing Dolby technologies, Dolby Digital and MLP Lossless, which are worldwide standards for DVD Video and DVD Audio respectively.
Dolby TrueHD offers the ultimate listening experience to accompany HD pictures – bit-for-bit accurate reproduction of the studio master. It can extend to 18 Mbps on eight (or more!) discrete channels.
Dolby’s technical engineers have also added the same metadata support that is already available with Dolby Digital to offer level normalisation and dynamic range control. And because Dolby is experienced in creating technologies to deliver the best audio whatever the medium, the efficiency of Dolby TrueHD offers lossless audio with enough capacity to include alternative language tracks or bonus features.
In fact Dolby TrueHD can code a 16-bit 48kHz 5.1 soundtrack bit-for-bit to a smaller file size than some lossy codecs. So no HD disc need be without a Dolby TrueHD track of pure lossless audio. Dolby TrueHD is on the latest next-generation disc players and AV receivers, enabling listeners to enjoy sound as stunning as the high-definition picture – just as the director mixed it.
If you purchase one of the first next-generation players on the market, which may only be two-channel, the Dolby TrueHD stream can be used to deliver a high-quality two-channel presentation.
Dolby Digital Plus is designed to offer the maximum flexibility to the content creator (whether broadcaster or disc-media) and maximum enjoyment to the user. It raises the bar on audio quality for applications, where bit-rate is an issue or where multiple soundtracks need to be carried efficiently, eg to carry added features such as commentaries, interactive games, and other bonus materials.
Dolby Digital Plus offers up to 7.1 channels, interactivity (mixing of streams), and one-cable compatibility with over 50 million Dolby Digital home cinema systems in use today. NB HD DVD and Blu-ray have specified up to 7.1 channels, although Dolby Digital Plus can support up to 13.1 audio channels at data rates up to 6Mbit/s although HD DVDs and Blu-ray can support data rates up to 3 and 4.7Mbps respectively.
While providing the possibility for future home content to be created in discrete 7.1 audio, Dolby Digital Plus also provides seamless 5.1 and satisfying stereo mixes under metadata control – conveying the best possible down-mixes as auditioned by audio professionals. In particular, the 5.1 audio can be carried as a separate mix in the Dolby Digital Plus stream.
Dolby Digital Plus will become available in next-generation DVD players and AV receivers during the next year. In addition, HD broadcasters plan to take advantage of the high efficiency and interactive features of Dolby Digital Plus in order to deliver innovative 5.1 programming in
To find out more visit www.dolby.co.uk
